I'm going to make a lanyard out of part of my AirCore Nano cord to go around my neck. This will hold frequently used items.

Should I just tie 2-3 feet of cord into a loop and just hang it on my neck? Does anyone do anything special to avoid choking if it gets caught on something and you're immobilized (like a quick release)? Am I reading too much into this?

I have the micro carabiners to hang stuff.

I did something like this last weekend actually. I took 25' of GG EZC guyline, doubled it up, and daisy chained. With the loop at the end I made a larks head and wrapped that below the overhand knot I made with the free ends. I hung my pinch light and whistle from it around my neck.
I used to just wear a normal lanyard but thought I should make it multi-use and 25' of rope can always come in handy. I'm not too worried about being choked by it, so I don't have any fancy quick releases. That just adds weight, right? :)
I had considered using it as my bear bagging line, but its a PITA to daisy chain all that small rope and I don't want to have to do it every morning.

Adam

Here is an MYOG breakaway lanyard

The idea should be adaptable to using string rather than a strap.

Maybe I should use a strap..that tiny Spectra cord might be a pain. Thanks for the reference.

An excellent neck lanyard with breakaway feature is made using a shoelace and a short length of plastic tubing. Rather than furnish the link to my prior posting, I'm repeating it here with the addition of pictures:

I virtually all the time wear a neck knife (Benchmade Tether knife). Total weight with lanyard is 61 grams.



When hiking I add a Photon freedom microlight (white or tourquois night vision green). Beyond that I keep things in a pocket with a fine cord lanyard securing some items to belt or pants loop.

The lanyard came with the knife. It is a break-away design consisting of a round, tightly-woven ~5/32" dia. hiking-style 28" shoelace. The ~9/64" dia. ends are pushed into a 1 1/2" length of clear plastic tubing (PVC?) with a 1/8" ID (~7/32 OD). This holds very securely but will quickly come apart if snagged and pulled hard; no danger of choking. The beauty is that if pulled apart nothing breaks; just stick the end back into the tubing. Also, the way I thread the cord through the lanyard (I add the light at the loop on the front of the sheath it is contained), it is very unlikely that any individual item will separate from the lanyard; you won't loose anything (except the whole works over a cliff!).





These are very easy to make. Any desired shoelace will work; just find a piece of plastic tubing (hardware store, hobby shop, etc.) that has an ID that will provide sufficient friction fit to the lace ends and you're in business. I even considered spraying the lace with a DWR treatment to minimize sweat absorption but that really hasn't been much of an issue. It's easy to add items and a longer shoelace would allow the tying of multiple loops to prevent items from all bunching together.

The US military already spent millions researching this issue (I jest), but seriously, GI dog tags are strong enough while not being a choking hazard. I use them for a Fox-40 mini and Photon Freedom.
No one expects to get choked, but choose the chain for the unexpected situations.
Ebay or google products.

Edited by Brett1234 on 09/10/2007 21:04:08 MDT.

Actually airborne units expressly prohibit use of any neckwear due to the severe issues of sudden drag at 175 MPH to the throat. We always wore our dog tags on a boot and the other one in the trousers pocket.

I wouldn't trust the chain to break when I needed it to, though I had some break when I did NOT want it.

In years since, I've taken to wearing multiple small necklaces both in the backcountry and in daily wear and have not once had a snag problem. Just keep the necklace tucked inside your shirt and it just isn't generally a problem.